by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 97 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,117 associate degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The nursing associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their associate degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at Eastern Arizona College. Eastern Arizona College is a medium-sized public college located in the town of Thatcher.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make around $70,074 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Eastern Arizona College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to check out South Texas College. South Texas College is a very large public college located in the midsize city of McAllen.
Nursing associate degree recipients from South Texas College earn a boost of about $4,003 over the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from South Texas College
It's difficult to beat El Centro College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Dallas.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients typically make an average of $70,630 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from El Centro College
Tarrant County College District is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in nursing. Tarrant County College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Fort Worth.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $72,069.
More information about a associate in nursing from Tarrant County College District
GateWay Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Phoenix.
Nursing associate degree recipients from GateWay Community College earn a boost of around $2,332 over the typical income of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from GateWay Community College
North Harris Montgomery is a very large public college located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at Lone Star College System earn $6,065 above the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Lone Star College System
Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a large student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing program at Central New Mexico Community College make $3,193 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Central New Mexico Community College
Austin Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Austin.
Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients usually earn about $68,125 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Austin Community College District
San Jacinto College is a very large public college located in the midsize city of Pasadena.
After graduating, nursing associate recipients typically make an average of $71,118 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from San Jacinto Community College
DMC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Corpus Christi.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients generally make about $70,673 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Del Mar College
NPC is a small public college located in the rural area of Holbrook.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn around $71,105 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from Northland Pioneer College
AC is a small public college located in the town of Lufkin.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients usually earn an average of $68,900 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Angelina College
Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $70,463 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from Oklahoma City Community College
MCC is a small public college located in the rural area of Kingman.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Mohave Community College earn a boost of approximately $2,044 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Mohave Community College
Located in the large city of Mesa, Mesa Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients typically make an average of $73,639 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Mesa Community College
Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Glendale Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Glendale Community College earn $3,688 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Glendale Community College
Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients typically earn about $66,743 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Houston Community College
Located in the town of Weatherford, Weatherford College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Weatherford College receive $7,143 more than the average nursing student.
More information about a associate in nursing from Weatherford College
Located in the large city of Tucson, Pima County Community College District is a public college with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $73,629.
More information about a associate in nursing from Pima Community CollegeThese are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Amarillo College | Amarillo, TX |
| 21 | San Antonio College | San Antonio, TX |
| 22 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 23 | Texas State Technical College | Waco, TX |
| 24 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 25 | Central Texas College | Killeen, TX |
| 26 | Phoenix College | Phoenix, AZ |
| 27 | Tulsa Community College | Tulsa, OK |
| 28 | Yavapai College | Prescott, AZ |
| 29 | Alvin Community College | Alvin, TX |
| 30 | Murray State College | Tishomingo, OK |
| 31 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 32 | Paris Junior College | Paris, TX |
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 200 | 6,294 |
| Arizona | 169 | 2,133 |
| New Mexico | 140 | 543 |
| Oklahoma | 136 | 1,310 |
One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 10,081 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 36 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Allied Health Professions | 4,140 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 2,002 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 1,530 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 1,280 |
| Dental Support Services | 754 |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 685 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 416 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 365 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 308 |
| Public Health | 62 |
